In 2017, Vietnamese users lost 12,300 billion VND due to computer viruses.

This damage is much higher than previous years, partly due to the spread of ransomware, cryptocurrency mining malware...

According to Bkav statistics, in 2017,Computer viruses have caused Vietnamese users to lose 12,300 billion VND, equivalent to 540 million USD, exceeding the figure of 10,400 billion VND last year.

This year, ransomware has become a nightmare, typically malware.WannaCry spread to more than 150 countries in May.In Vietnam, more than 1,900 computers were infected with WannaCry and more than 52% of computers had vulnerabilities that could be attacked by this malware. Then came the appearance of the Petya and Bad Rabbit variants, paralyzing a series of banks, airports, ATMs and many large businesses and organizations around the world.

Huge ransoms are behind the ransomware boom.Statistics from Bkav's virus monitoring system show that 11.22% of emails circulated in 2017 were intended to spread ransomware.

Illustration: CNN

2017 also witnessed a virtual currency fever, prompting hackers to carry out a series of attacks aimed at turning users' computers into money-mining tools. Most recently,Cryptocurrency mining malware hidden in .zip files has been spreading on Facebook since December 19 and it is estimated that more than 23,000 computers in Vietnam have been infected with this virus.

Internet-connected devices (IoT) such as Wi-Fi Routers, IP Cameras, etc. have also become targets of hackers. One of the reasons is thatManufacturers often leave the default administrator password and do not recommend customers to change the device parameters before starting to use. Meanwhile, users are not used to paying attention to the security of the device and do not change the default password. A study by Bkav shows that up to 76% of IP cameras in Vietnam still use accounts and passwords pre-installed by the manufacturer.

2018 is predicted to continue to witness an explosion of malware attacks aimed at illegal profiteering such as ransomware, cryptocurrency mining malware, etc. Meanwhile,Facebook remains a fertile ground for scams and the spread of fake news.

According to VNE